HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new study commissioned by June20, the company that is creating a whole new category of kinetic retail displays by combining the tactile gratification of in-store shopping with a content-rich online experience, found that 84 percent of Americans prefer to shop at brick-and-mortar stores or at a combination of online and in-store retailers.
The study of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Propeller Insights in October 2017, found that while American consumers still love the brick-and-mortar shopping experience, the online shopping experience offers benefits they don't easily get in stores like user reviews, videos and specifications they need to help them make choices when buying a product. When asked what they like about the online shopping experience that is missing from an in-store experience, 42 percent of Americans say they miss the ability to compare items, and 31 percent of Americans miss the easy access to rich information about products that the in-store experience doesn't provide.
“Our research shows that Americans gravitate to online shopping because they like having more choices and the ability to compare items with rich content and information at their fingertips. This helps them make their buying decisions,” said Jason Seed, COO of June20. “However, our research also reveals that Americans are craving the curated experience that being in a physical store brings—65 percent of Americans said they visit a physical store because they like to see and touch a product before buying it.”
Americans Still Love Brick-and-Mortar Retail
While online shopping has become a common practice, there are aspects of the real-life shopping experience that American consumers still relish. Americans said the following benefits make buying a product at a store more satisfying than shopping online:
- Being able to get exactly the thing they want – 62 percent
- The immediacy of the experience – 61 percent
- Being able to see the product before it is delivered – 58 percent
- Having a hands-on experience with the product before purchasing – 53 percent
- Being able to ensure that the product being purchased is undamaged – 53 percent
Indeed, Americans even turn to brick-and-mortar retailers for emotional support: more than a quarter (29 percent) of American women say the immediate satisfaction of shopping is important because it provides the retail therapy needed to face the uncertainty in the world, and nearly one-in-five (19 percent) American men say it's important because they fear for the future with Trump in the White House.
Clothing (66 percent), beauty products (31 percent) and accessories (31 percent) are the top items Americans prefer to experience in-store before purchasing, while smartphones—iPhone X, iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy—are the items Americans say they least need to experience in person.
But There Are Benefits of Online Shopping They Crave
While Americans enjoy the physical experience of shopping, almost all of them (91 percent) say there are benefits of online shopping they would like to experience when shopping in-store. Chief among them:
- The ability to find the best price on an item – 52 percent
- Not having to waste time in lines – 50 percent
- Being able to find user reviews, videos and other product information – 47 percent
- The general ease of online shopping – 35 percent
- It allows for shopping on-the-go – 34 percent
- Easy access to rich information about products – 31 percent
Consequently, most Americans admit to sometimes visiting a store but making their purchases online because: they want to have a hands-on experience with a product before purchasing it (52 percent), they can find cheaper prices online (51 percent) or because the store didn't have the product in stock (40 percent).
Whether in-store or online, Americans say price comparisons are what they value most when making purchasing decisions (69 percent), followed by:
- User reviews – 53 percent
- Photos of the product – 41 percent
- How quickly they can get the product home – 40 percent
The Best of Both Worlds
To bridge this gap between the in-store and online shopping experience, June20 recently announced the launch of Converge, a revolutionary technology platform that is changing in-store shopping by adding an interactive digital component that retailers and brands can use to explain complex products, configure design options, discover and compare similar products in a category, or display a range of similar products without sacrificing shelf space.
Converge gives brands and retailers a whole new level of in-store data around customer buying behaviors, and customers have the option to send the information on the tablet directly to their mobile device, or move products to their online shopping cart while standing in the aisle.
Added Seed, “With Converge, consumers can have the rich content and expanded assortment of the online world and the curated, linear experience of an in-store environment. It presents consumers with the best of both experiences.”
Converge is now shipping and is currently being pilot tested in a number of leading retail outlets, including the flagship stores of both Home Depot and Sam's Club.
About June20
June20 is reinventing the in-store shopping experience with its newest technology platform, Converge. Converge is a digital retail display that elevates the tactile gratification of in-store shopping by adding a content-rich online experience. Customers have access to a variety of online content, specially curated for an in-store experience, keeping them in the retailer's ecosystem from discovery to purchase, and provides new and powerful insights on customer in-store buying behavior for retailers and brands.
To learn more, visit june20.com and follow the company on LinkedIn.
